On the morning of the 6th in Gangwon-do, Chuncheon, it is suspected that North Korea released waste balloons on the rooftop of a building in Dongwa-ri, Moonmak-eup. Last day of Chuseok holiday on the 18th, North Korea is suspected to have released around 160 waste balloons toward the South. Among them, about 30 balloons that have landed have been confirmed.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 19th, “North Korea has been identified as releasing around 160 trash balloons from the afternoon until night on the 18th.” They added, “So far, about 30 falling objects have been confirmed in the northern Gyeonggi and Seoul areas.”
It has been determined that the fallen waste balloons contained household waste such as paper, plastic, and plastic bottles. Military authorities have reported that there were no hazardous materials found for safety reasons.
Since May 28, North Korea has released waste balloons a total of 21 times. During the Chuseok holiday on the 14th-15th and 18th, they consecutively launched waste balloons. On the 18th, they continued provocations toward the South by launching several short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM).